In summer, the bill and feet black, upper part of the head and hind neck light grey, tinged with buff, and longitudinally streaked or spotted with dusky; fore part of back and scapulars variegated with brownish-black and yellowish, and each feather with several spots of the latter, and tipped with whitish; hind part of the back, rump, and upper tail-coverts, barred with black; wing-coverts ash-grey, edged with paler; alula and primary coverts brownish-black, tipped with white; primaries similar, their shafts, and the outer margins of all, excepting the first three white, the inner webs toward the base light grey; secondaries and their coverts grey, margined with white; sides of head, fore part of neck, breast, and abdomen, rich brownish-orange; lower tail-coverts and feathers of legs white, each of the former with a central dusky arrow-shaped or elongated spot; axillaries white, barred with dusky; lower wing-coverts dusky with white margins. In winter the bill greenish-black, feet yellowish-green; upper parts deep ash-grey, each feather margined with whitish; feathers of rump greyish-white; upper tail-coverts white, barred with dusky; quills and tail as in summer; a band from the bill over the eye to the hind part of the head, white; loral space, cheeks, and sides of neck pale grey, streaked with darker; throat and lower parts white; sides, axillar feathers, and lower wing-coverts, barred or spotted with dusky; lower tail-coverts as in summer. Young in autumn like the adult in winter, but each feather on the upper parts with a narrow margin of white, within which is a dusky line.
Male, 101/4, 21.
In autumn and spring ranges along the coast from Texas to Labrador. Breeds in the Fur Countries, to a very high latitude. Common.
Ash-coloured Sandpiper, Tringa cinerea, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vii. p. 36. Winter.
Red-breasted Sandpiper, Tringa rufa, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vii. p. 57. Summer.
Tringa islandica, Bonap. Syn. p. 350.
Tringa cinerea, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 387.
Knot or Ash-coloured Sandpiper, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 125.
Knot or Ash-coloured Sandpiper, Tringa islandica, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 130.
330. 3. Tringa pectoralis, Bonap. Pectoral Sandpiper.
Plate CCXCIV. Male and Female.
Bill dull olive-green, dusky towards the point; feet dull yellowish-green; upper part of head reddish-brown, the central part of each feather brownish-black; a faint whitish line from the bill to a little beyond the eye; lores dusky; sides of head and anterior and lateral parts of neck, with a portion of the breast, light brownish-grey, with longitudinal dark brown lines; chin, breast, and abdomen white; feathers of the upper part brownish-black, edged with reddish-brown, those on the wings lighter; primary quills dusky, outer secondaries tinged with grey, and narrowly tipped with white, inner like the back; tail-feathers light brownish-grey, slightly margined and tipped with white, the two central dark like the back.
Male, 91/4, 18.
From Nova Scotia to Maryland, along the coast. Rather common. Migratory. Breeds in the north.
Tringa pectoralis, Pectoral Sandpiper, Bonap. Amer. Orn. v. iv. p. 44.
Tringa pectoralis, Bonap. Syn. p. 318.
Pectoral Sandpiper, Tringa pectoralis, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 111.
Pectoral Sandpiper, Tringa pectoralis, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 601; v. v. p. 582.